2 Color Foil Blocking

Also known as foil printing, or hot foil stamping.

• A process that uses heat and pressure to apply your logo or design with a very thin layer of pre-glued foil film to the surface of the gift box.
• First, your logo or design is etched into a metal block (also known as a die, plate or stamp).
• Each color element of the logo requires a separate metal block.
• 2 color foil is exactly the same process as 1 color foil, it’s just done twice!
• The metal block is fixed into the foil blocking machine and heated to a high temperature.
• Under pressure the metal block presses your selected foil film color into the box surface in the shape of the etched design.
• One color is applied to all the boxes, the 1^st color block is then removed from the machine and is set up with the 2^nd color block for the 2^nd foil color to be applied.
• Foil film is supplied on rolls and cut down to the required logo width from larger rolls.
• Traditionally foil colors were commonly Gold or Silver but foils are available in a wide selection of colors, including matt finishes.
• Foil is most commonly used and recommended if you want a metallic shiny effect to your logo and produces a premium quality finish.
• Foils have their own color references depending on the manufacturer. Kurz, Phillips Foils and Foilco are the most common foils used.
• Foils arenot supplied as Pantone colors but we can usually find a close workable match to a Pantone reference.
• Foil is a solid color, shading and half-tones cannot be achieved. Your logo will need to be modified to a solid color if it normally includes shading.
• Foil colors cannot touch or overlap because the process of applying the 2^nd color will lift the 1^st color off the box.
• We can achieve quite tight registration between colors but some designs are not recommended or suitable for 2 color foil.
• Due to the application of heat and pressure, the logo is depressed slightly into the surface of the box.
• Each box is printed individually by hand, this is not an automatic process and requires a skilled printer.

Example of Brass Dies

Example of Foil Rolls